Rukawa's Secret Passion
by Star7
Summary: *YAOI* - Ruhana Vs Rusen Vs Senhana - An alternative universe fic - what if the Slamdunk boys went to... ballet school? First published in 2001 - finally finished! : Sorry to keep you waiting so long... only 8 years! I hope you enjoy :D
1. The Passion

Rukawa's secret passion  
a weird, AU, yaoi fic by Star!  
  
NB. For the purposes of this fic... all the sd boyz have really weird ages... eg Sendoh's in the same  
year as Rukawa, and Fujima is much older than them... but they're still the same people :-)  
  
WARNING! An extremely out of character Sakuragi *so out of character you won't believe it's  
him!*  
  
Dedicated to Hana-Ling because *finally* she likes one of my fics!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
In one beautiful movement, Rukawa leapt up, causing the spectators to ohh' and ahh' in  
amazement. Landing gracefully on the floor, the fox-eyed boy allowed himself to clench his fists  
in the smallest sign of victory that went unnoticed by most.  
He'd done it. He'd won. The cup, once again, would return to Shohoku.  
  
  
Sendoh stood under the sign at the entrance. He read it over and over again, still unable to  
believe that he was finally here, going to be coached by the amazing Anzai-sensei himself. I  
mean... this was /Shohoku/... the school that had brought home the national cup for the past 10  
years!  
Too bad Koshino hadn't been offered a place, it would have been nice to have a familiar face  
around the place, but Sendoh was sure he'd make friends quick enough.  
He touched his unique hairstyle to make sure everything was in place before slinging his gym bag  
over his shoulder and making his way towards the main entarnce.  
  
A few minutes later another figure entered the gate, also with a gym bag.  
The boy was walking at a lazy pace... well, lazy is the unstatement of the year because the boy  
was actually sound asleep, and therefore comletely unaware of where he was going. It was  
unsurprising therefore when he walked straight into a tree. It was a little surprising when he then  
punched the tree hard in punishment for waking him up. But it was /very/ surprising when,  
realising that the punch didn't have much effect, the boy gave the tree such an icy glare that the  
leaves actually began to wilt and fall in the middle of summer. Nodding in satisfaction *or was  
he falling asleep again?* the boy continued his lazy walk towards the school building that was  
Shohoku Ballet School.'  
  
  
Authors note:  
I hope I've wet your taste buds... heehee... ballet... I came up with the idea during a particually  
boring Biology lesson when my friend Hana-Ling was drawing ballet dancers. Crazy huh?   
I quite like this story, so I hope you'll read on.  
This is *of course* dedicated to Hana-Ling, simply cos it's the first one of my fics that she's  
actually liked :-)  
ja ne  
Star xxxx Lovin' the Kitsune 


	2. The Silent One

Rukawa's secret passion  
Pt 2 by Star  
  
Sendoh stared at the map of the school, but it didn't help, he was still lost.  
Sighing loudly he leant against the wall and twisted the map around in his hands to figure out  
where he was, the trouble with this place was that it was so damn big!  
He glanced up and down the featureless corridor, trying to find some sort of landmark.  
  
He was relieved when one of the studio doors opened and a student dressed in the school's  
dancing uniform stepped out.  
Standing up straight, Sendoh put on his most charming smile and spoke to the boy;  
"Hi! I'm Akira Sendoh, I'm new here and..." He waved the map around, "...I'm completely  
lost."  
The boy simply raised his eyebrows and continued to stare steadily at Sendoh.  
"Oh. So... not the talkative type huh? Well... can you show me how to get to the main hall, I'm  
supposed to be meeting the student who'll show me around there."  
After a few seconds, the silent boy nodded and turned to walk in the direction Sendoh had just  
come. The spiky-haired boy hurried after him.  
  
Glancing sideways at his saviour, Sendoh noted two things. One, the boy was extremely  
beautiful, dark messy hair, fine features, pale skin and beautiful blue eyes framed perfectly by dark  
lashes.  
Two, the boy was slightly awkward. His movements were jerky and slightly out of control. This  
would have gone unnoticed by the average person, but to a dancer such as Sendoh, whose  
movements were as smooth as silk, the awkwardness stuck out like a sore thumb.  
He couldn't help but smile, the boy must be a hopeless dancer, heaven knows how he got a place  
at Shohoku.  
  
Upon entering the hall, the first thing Sendoh saw was the trophy cabinet, filled with hundreds of  
trophies won by various pupils at the school.  
The second thing he noticed was the national cup. It was /huge/, and had been given pride of  
place in the centre of the cabinet where it had lived for the past 10 years.  
"Wow."  
Sendoh knelt before the cabinet and brought his face close to the glass. The trophy was beautiful  
and shone gold in the sunlight. Sendoh read the inscription on the cup;  
The National Trophy for Best Male Ballet Dancer.'  
His breath was steaming up the glass, but he didn't care. His eyes rested on the names of the  
most recent winners;  
  
1998 - Kenji Fujima - Shohoku  
1999 - Kaede Rukawa - Shohoku  
2000 - Kaede Rukawa - Shohoku  
2001 - Kaede Rukawa - Shohoku  
  
"Wow... Rukawa must be an absolute genius! You know, he's won this cup more times than  
anybody else ever, /and/ he's the youngest person to have won it! Wow... this cup is amazing..."  
"It's nothing special."  
The icy boy finally spoke, and Sendoh glanced up at him, eyebrows raised.  
"Oh no? You don't think so? Have you ever imagined what it must be like to win this?"  
The boy didn't reply, so Sendoh turned his attention back to the trophies. After a few seconds,  
the cold voice spoke again.  
"I have to go back to my class now. Goodbye."  
Sendoh quickly turned and shouted after the retreating back,  
"Hey kid! What's your name!?"  
He received no reply.  
  
Tbc~  
  
by Star xxxxx Lovin' the Kitsune   
C & C's welcome :-) 


	3. Room 07

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
Pt3 By Star  
  
Warning: A stupidly short chapter!  
  
"And just up here is our dorm..."  
The red-head smiled warmly at Sendoh as they reached a door with the number 07 written on it.   
A list of the 6 dorm members was stuck onto the dark wood.  
Sendoh glanced fleetingly at the list.  
He noticed that head of dorm for this term was named 'Kiminobu Kogure'.  
"Kogure's a really nice guy... you'll get on well with him."  
Sakuragi smiled again.  
Suddenly, Sendoh's eyes alighted on one name that seemed to leapt out of the paper and attach  
itself to his forehead;  
'Kaede Rukawa.'  
"Shit! Rukawa's in our dorm!? Christ that's just /scary!/"  
The red-head's smile grew even wider *if that was possible*.  
"Don't worry about him, you probably won't even notice he's there." Then Sakuragi pushed  
the door which swung silently inwards.  
"OI! EVERYBODY! THIS IS SENDOH AKIRA!"  
Sendoh gulped nervously at the rather embarrassing introduction, but, being the ultimate cool  
dude he was, he recovered quickly.  
He beamed round the room as a chorus of 'hi!'s greeted him.  
"Okay... so I'm Hana... this is Kyota... this is Hanagatta... this is Kogure... and that one over  
there is Rukawa. Your bed is next to his."  
Sendoh greeted everyone except the boy who was sleeping on the bed, his back to the doorway.   
The red-head hollered at the still figure;  
"Rukawa! Get up and say hello the new guy, you lazy Kitsune!"  
Slowly the boy shifted himself and rolled gently onto his back.  
Turning his head he fixed Sakuragi with an icy glare.  
"Do-aho, we've already met."  
Sendoh's jaw dropped.  
  
Tbc~  
  
*sigh* still nothing of the story line's happened... and already 3 chapters gone! Perhaps I ought  
to combine some of these shorter chapters... oh well... please keep reading, I promise there is a  
story line to this somewhere!  
Star xxxxx Lovin' the Kitsune  
C & C's welcome! 


	4. The Dancer

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
Pt.4 by Star  
  
Wahoo! This chapter is actually a reasonable length! *Goes to celebrate*  
  
Sendoh stepped out the studio door, only to collide with something travelling extremely fast down  
the corridor.  
"Itai!" He exclaimed as his bum hit the hard floor.  
Looking up, slightly dazed, he saw two concerned eyes peering at him.  
"Oh! Sendoh! I'm so sorry!"  
Sendoh took the hand that was offered to him and allowed Sakuragi to pull him to his feet.  
"Are you alright?"  
"Yeah, course, it was my fault."  
Sendoh dusted off the seat of his pants and returned the red head's smile.  
"Well... you wanna eat with us this lunch? I was on my way there now."  
Quietly wondering who us' was, Sendoh gave an affirmative nod, much to the delight of  
Sakuragi.  
"Great! You don't mind waiting a few minutes with me do you? It's just that Kaede's always  
late out of class."  
"Kaede Rukawa?"  
Sendoh felt a sudden sense of misgiving. Things between himself and the super rookie' had not  
been all that great since he'd arrived, and the two of them just kept out of each other's way.   
Luckily this was quite easy as they were in none of the same classes.  
"Kaede Rukawa?" He repeated.  
"Yeah... why? Something wrong?"  
"Ummm... no... nothing."  
Easily fooled, Sakuragi began to lead him through the maze that was Shohoku, satisfied that all  
was well. Sendoh was completely lost after the first couple of turns and had to put all his trust  
in the chattering red head.  
Finally they stopped in front of a studio door, and Sakuragi turned to smile at Sendoh  
"You haven't seen him dance yet have you?"  
Sendoh shook his head and Sakuragi's grin widened, "prepare to be amazed."  
  
Inside, the studio was pretty ordinary. Mirrors round the sides, a ballet barre, a sound system and  
some crude lighting equipment.  
A female teacher was slowly going through some dance steps with a pretty girl in pointe shoes  
who was looking completely confused.  
The only other two occupants of the room were both asleep in a corner. One was a cat, the other  
was *no prizes for guessing* Rukawa.  
The teacher looked up at them in relief when they entered.  
"Ah! Sakuragi! Could you please wake your friend up?"  
There was a moments silence, and Sendoh saw a look of apprehension appear on the usually  
energetic boy's face.  
"Oh... erm... how long has he been asleep?"  
"About 20 minutes."  
Sakuragi sweatdropped. Even Sakuragi wasn't immune to waking the boy up, which was likely  
to result in some serious injuries.  
Luckily there was no need for Sakuragi to risk life and limb, because at that moment, the sleeping  
boy decided to stretch and roll over. Unfortunately *or not* he rolled onto the cat which was  
sleeping beside him who was none too happy about the new sleeping arrangements.  
By the time the tabby had finished giving the raven-haired boy a piece of his mind, Rukawa was  
very much awake.  
Sakuragi was bent double laughing, and Sendoh found it impossible to suppress the giggles rising  
in his throat even though he tried to disguise them with coughs.  
The teacher just sighed loudly as if scenes like this were a common occurrence in these lessons.  
She waved a hand idly, indicating that Rukawa should dance with the girl.  
Stiffly, Rukawa shook the pins and needles out of his legs and took the girls hand. He shuffled  
his feet awkwardly into 5th position, looking for all the world like a clown.  
  
As the dance began, with a bored look on his face, the boy led the girl around the floor and guided  
her through the steps.  
Sendoh was captivated by the way he moved. This boy who, whilst simply walking down the  
corridor looked like a complete klutz, was now somehow able to make his body flow between  
each step making each separate step turn into one, long, seamless dance. It was amazing to  
watch.  
Sendoh's eyes were open wide, trying to take in as much of the dance as possible as the two  
dancers spun and twisted round each other with an elegance he'd never seen before, each  
movement blending in perfectly with the one before...  
  
But then it ended and the music fizzled out.  
  
Rukawa rolled his eyes at the girl who was sprawled unceremoniously upon her derriere and  
turning a worrying red colour.  
The teacher gave another aspirated sigh and rolled her eyes;  
"Okay! I think that's quite enough for now! You kids go grab some lunch and I'll see you back  
here in an hour. This is not good enough! We only have 3 weeks till the performance and  
Haruko, you haven't done the dance once without messing up yet! Get out of here!"  
Rukawa made a quick bow before walking out, pulling a loose t-shirt over his leotard. Sakuragi  
and Sendoh quickly followed.  
"That was great Kaede!"  
Rukawa said nothing in reply to Sakuragi's cheerful words, instead he turned around and stared  
at the two boys.  
"Did you invite him to join us?"  
He waved a hand in Sendoh's direction.  
"Yes... I thought we could..."  
"I'm skipping lunch."  
Rukawa turned and walked away quickly, leaving the two other boys staring after him. Sakuragi  
could only shrug at Sendoh in apology.  
  
Authors note: well... I guess it's getting a /bit/ more heated now... hmmm... have you guessed the  
pairing(s) yet??  
Plez give me some comments... critical especially... :-)  
Star xxxxx Lovin' the Kitsune 


	5. The Flower

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
Pt. 5 By Star  
  
Warnings: This chapter is really badly written... sorry bout that!  
  
Sendoh couldn't help feeling drawn towards the boy who sat across from him at the dinning table.   
They spoke about the school... who attended there... which teachers to look out for... where the  
toilets were... and finally, the best dancers.  
"Have you seen Fujima Kenji around the place yet?"  
"Fujima?... I recognise that name..."  
"Yeah... he won the national trophey a few years back."  
"Oh! Yeah... I remember... but... why hasn't he left the school yet?"  
Sakuragi took a large bite out of his apple before replying.  
"He has... but he's always around the place... helping out... he even teaches sometimes."  
"I'll keep an eye out for him then."  
"His dancing is /wonderful/, he's even better than Kaede..."  
An uncomfortable silence settled over them at the sound of the name.  
Feeling awkward, Sendoh stared intently into his soup, gently stirring it, but not taking a sip.  
"Don't worry about him Akira, he's always been like that. It's nothing personal."  
Sendoh briefly wondered since when he had been on first name terms with Sakuragi, then decided  
that he was glad of it.  
"Are /you/ good friends with him?" He asked hesitently. "You two seem to get on very well..."  
Sendoh glanced up to see Sakuragi flush a deep red.  
"Ummm... you could say that."  
Intrigued, Sendoh wanted to question further, but Sakuragi purposfully changed the subject, and  
so Sendoh put the matter to the back of his mind, correctly sensing that Sakuragi didn't want to  
talk about it.  
  
  
That night, something woke Sendoh suddenly. He was just wondering what it was, when muffled  
voices nearby reached his ears. Turning his head towards Rukawa's bed, his eyes widened.  
  
Sakuragi was lying on top of the raven-haired boy, and was lacing his fingers through the silky  
hair.  
"You never smile Kitsune."  
"I have no reason to."  
"Will you smile because you love me?"  
"Then I would never stop!"  
Rukawa leaned upwards and gently kissed the red-head's forehead.  
Sakuragi grinned broadly and nuzzled Rukawa's neck affectionally. After only a few seconds, a  
soft snore was issued from Sakuragi lips, and contented smile on his face whilst he slept.  
  
Sendoh continued to watch the boys in fasination. The other boy who was *surprisingly* still  
awake suddenly smiled widely to no one in particular. It was the first time Sendoh had ever seen  
Rukawa smile, and he actually looked nice... /beautiful/ in fact.  
All the usual hardness on his face seemed to melt away and his eyes lit up. He looked for all the  
world like a normal, happy, 15 year old boy.  
"I love you Hana."  
He softly kissed the red hair before falling asleep himself, hair splade out on the pillow like a halo.  
  
Sendoh watched them sleeping.  
These two... they were so happy... they looked so perfect together.  
It wasn't fair. Why didn't he have anyone?  
None of the girls at his previous school, Ryonan, had appealed to him. He'd begun to wonder  
whether he might actually be gay, as his so-called friends' had told him. The girls here at  
Shohoku were pretty, yes, but nothing at he felt attracted to. The only person he'd really enjoyed  
the company of was Sakuragi... but then... would that mean he was gay???  
He stole another glance at the two sleeping lovers.  
Sakuragi looked so beautiful, his red hair reminding Sendoh of a sunflower. Someone who was  
always smiling and happy in this dark world.  
'I can't believe he's so wonderful... and yet he belongs to that icy heartless bastard! He deserves  
so much better...'  
Then a little voice in the back of Sendoh's mind spoke to him;  
'He deserves someone like you...'  
Sendoh shook his head, trying to free it of the voices speaking to him. 'Why would he ever go  
for someone like me... when he's... when he's got someone like /that/?!'  
He rolled over to face the rest of the dorm, but he just felt so /jealous/! 'Well... I can still  
dream...' he thought as he closed his eyes to Sakuragi's beautiful smile and fell into a reastless  
sleep.  
  
Tbc~  
  
*grrr* I can't seem to be able to make things actually /happen/ in this story!  
Well... I apoligise for this chapter, I don't know /what/ I was thinking when I wrote it! Hopefully  
it might improve ^^. 


	6. The Sensei

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
pt 6  
  
The teacher frowned angrily.  
"You're 10 minutes late!" He barked.  
Sendoh hastily bowed and mumbled his apologises.  
"Gomen sensei, I am new here and I lost my way."  
The teacher snorted. "Well, Anzai-sensei has been held up for a few minutes so you'd better  
warm yourselves up."  
Silently the 7 or so boys in the room began their stretches as Sendoh tugged his ballet slippers on.  
This was a new evening advanced training class' that Anzai-sensei was going to coach. One of  
Sendoh's other teachers had suggested that he ought to enrol, to see it as a challenge. Sendoh  
had immediately done so.  
Of course Rukawa was there.  
Sendoh had heard through the school's extensive grapevine about Rukawa's *obsession* with  
ballet and how ballet was all he ever thought about. But Sendoh, having seen a gentler side of  
Rukawa that nobody could have guessed existed behind the icy facade, preferred to call it a  
*passion* rather than and *obsession*.  
Sendoh warmed himself up slowly, stretching his muscles carefully to insure that he wouldn't pull  
any during the class. As he did so, he took a few seconds to glance over the other boys.  
Out of the seven he recognised Rukawa, Hanagatta and Maki.  
An extremely pretty boy he didn't know caught his eye. He looked slightly older than the others  
but he had a babyish face and pretty green eyes, not to mention an impressive figure. His  
movements were smooth, unlike Rukawa's, and when he walked he appeared to float above the  
ground.  
The pretty boy was in deep discussion with Hanagatta, who gestured for Sendoh to join them.  
"Sendoh... I'd like you to meet Kenji Fujima, Kenji, this is Akira Sendoh."  
Fujima smiled and shook Sendoh's hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you Sendoh."  
"Likewise," Sendoh returned the greeting, glad to have met the dancer Sakuragi had mentioned.  
  
Just then the door opened and a short, rather fat, aged man entered.  
Everyone stopped talking immediately and bowed very low, so Sendoh quickly deduced that this  
must be *the* Anzai-sensei, the one he'd transferred to Shohoku solely to see.  
The old man laughed heartily.  
"Ho ho ho... and here is our newest member!"  
Sendoh smiled, instantly liking the man.  
"I've heard that you are very talented Sendoh, unfortunately I haven't had a chance to see you  
dance yet. I am very much looking forward to it."  
The spiky haired dude looked at his feet embarrassed.  
"Ho ho ho! There's no need to be ashamed of your talents! Tell me Sendoh... have you  
auditioned for this year's show??"  
"Show??" Sendoh felt extremely stupid, and was painfully aware that everyone was staring at  
him with interest.  
"Yes, the school puts on a show every year... the next one is in a few months, but I'm sure you'll  
have time to get involved. Ah... look at me talking on, I'll speak with you afterwards Sendoh,  
but now! We're here to dance and dance we shall!"  
The enthusiastic pupils were immediately attentive and the class began.  
  
It was certainly an interesting session, and Sendoh was glad that he'd come. Anzai-sensei was  
a very unusual teacher, and slightly eccentric, but never-the-less his lesson was extremely  
enjoyable.  
Before everyone was dismissed, Sensei gently requested that Sendoh and Rukawa should stay  
behind.  
Intrigued, Sendoh waited nervously as everyone left the room, Rukawa just leant against a wall  
and quickly fell asleep.  
When everyone had finally filled out of the room, chattering happily, Anzai finally turned his  
attention to Sendoh, the old coach's stare seemed to go right through the boy and look right into  
his soul.  
"Do you consider yourself a good dancer Sendoh?"  
Sendoh gulped in the face of such a difficult question, not knowing whether to reply positively  
and look too cocky, or to say no and seem to have little value for himself.  
"I... er... I... um... I hope so!" He spoke in a jovial manner, hoping he didn't sound too intense,  
nor too flippant.  
There was a few seconds silence before the coach hollered; "RUKAWA!"  
Sendoh jumped, surprised by Anzai's surprisingly loud voice addressed to the boy sleeping against  
the cold wall. To Sendoh's further surprise, Rukawa opened one eye lazily, and *didn't swing  
at anyone!* It seemed as if the sensei's voice had some sort of soothing power over the normally  
violent-when-woken' boy.  
"Do you consider yourself a good dancer Rukawa?"  
The boy shrugged. "Not good enough," he said firmly.  
Sendoh's eyes widened. Rukawa was undoubtedly one of the best dancers in Japan! Yet still...   
"What do you think to my idea? Would you agree??" Sensei continued to speak with Rukawa,  
throwing a meaningful glance in Sendoh's direction.  
A flicker of what looked like a smile appeared on Rukawa's lips. "If it's about the show, then  
yes... I am of the same mind as you."  
Throughly confused, Sendoh looked between each of them like a tennis match, wishing he knew  
what they were speaking about.  
"You are dismissed Rukawa, although, I believe you have rehearsals in the main hall now ne?"  
"Yes sensei." Rukawa bowed low and left.  
Anzai-sensei turned back to Sendoh and smiled.  
"I am going to teach you a dance. An audition piece you might say. I believe that you are suited  
to it, however, I warn you now that this'll probably be the most difficult thing you've ever done.   
Think yourself up to it??"  
Sendoh nodded firmly and sensei wondered off to find some music.  
  
The dance was hard. Yes.  
There seemed to be too many steps and his feet just decided to muddle themselves up for  
amusement.  
After falling to the floor for the 3rd time, Sendoh simply didn't have the strength to stand up. He  
only sat and stared at his feet, willing them with all his might to dance.  
He'd never felt so frustrated. Most dances just lent themselves to him, and he had to practise very  
little, natural talent making up for the neglected effort. But now... he knew what to do... he knew  
how to do it... it was just that his feet wouldn't let him! His eyes narrowed, sending evil looks  
to his own feet that were beginning to shake badly as cramp began to entered his legs.  
He wanted to hit someone.  
"Sendoh. Go and rest, you need it. After tomorrows class, we'll continue. I still have  
confidence in you."  
  
Wearily, Sendoh somehow managed to drag himself up the stairs to dorm 07. The door creaked  
open as he pushed it and he began his trek to the far side of the dorm where his bed was.  
The dorm was quite large considering it only had 6 members. The 6 beds took up most of the  
space, 3 on each side of the room. There was only a small amount of floor space near the door,  
where the room mates would lounge around. All their clothes were tucked neatly into drawers  
underneath the beds and out of the way.  
Everyone in the room was already asleep and the room was almost pitch black. A digital alarm  
clock by Kogure's bed told him it was already 10:30pm. As Sendoh walked past the first two  
beds, slowly so as not to bump into anything unexpected in the darkness, a shadowy figure sat  
upright in the bed opposite Kogure's.  
"Kaede??"  
Sakuragi's voice caused little tremors up and down Sendoh's spine and he gazed longingly at the  
red head's fuzzy outline, thankfully the lust in his eyes hidden by the darkness.  
"He has rehearsals for the show."  
"Ah! Gomen Akira, I thought you looked like Rukawa in the darkness."  
Sendoh gulped nervously, thoughts of him slipping unrecognised into Sakuragi's bed littered his  
mind, but he quickly pushed them away.  
"An easy mistake. Oyasumi Nasai my friend."  
"Oyasumi Sendoh."   
Falling heavily into bed, Sendoh roughly wrapped the covers around him and immediately fell  
asleep, trying to sleep off his exhaustion.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Several hours later, a quiet beeping filled the room waking a boy sleeping near the door. He  
fumbled with his alarm clock, managing to switch it off after a few seconds. He groped around  
on his bedside table for his glasses. Not finding them, Kogure was forced to quietly switch on the  
light and search for them. They were lying on the floor where he'd knocked them in his attempt  
to switch off the alarm. Hauling himself out of bed he picked them up and placed them on his  
nose, the world suddenly coming sharply into focus.  
The first thing he saw was the two bodies holding each other tightly in the bed opposite him.  
Rukawa's arms protectively round the red-head, both looking so peaceful as they slept.  
"Kawii" he commented to no one in particular.  
He made his way to the dorm door and put his hand on the doorknob, about to turn it, when a  
voice stopped him.  
"Going somewhere senpai??"  
"Eh??" Turning round he saw the wild monkey Kyota watching him.  
"I said, going somewhere?? Next door perhaps??"  
Kogure gaped at him.  
"How do you know??" He thought of the boy waiting for him in the next dorm. Hiashi Mitsui...  
*his* Hisashi Mitsui.   
"I've followed you many times."  
Kogure almost choked, "followed me?!"  
"Ah! No! Not in that way!" Kyota flushed as he realised what he'd said. "I mean... Mitsui,  
he's in the same dorm as Jin ne?"  
Kogure raised his eyebrows knowingly. "Jin?? You and Jin??"  
Kyota flushed an even deeper red as he nodded.  
The boy wearing glasses smiled at the wild monkey.  
"So... will you be walking with me tonight then??"   
Kyota grinned and also got out of bed. "You bet... and I'm sure he won't mind my being a little  
early."  
"I should think he'd be quite glad."  
Both boys left dorm 07 together and started the short walk to next doors dorm 06, glad not to  
be spending the night alone. Unlike a certain spiky haired boy, who had to content himself with  
dreams.  
  
Authors note:   
Oh no! This chapter is even worse than the last one! It must be the heat... it's so hot here at the  
moment... boy, I wish I was in the southern hemisphere!  
Hmmm... well... I meant to write a lot more of the story in this chapter than I actually did, which  
means I'm gonna have to write another chapter before I can get to the exciting two ^^. Okay...  
so no more hints!  
Star xxxxx Lovin' the Kitsune  



	7. The Opinion

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
pt 7 *finally... sorry for the delay folks ^^;;*  
  
The sheets rustled as Sendoh poked out his head when the bright sunlight   
filtered in though the window.  
Everyone was sleeping in their proper beds, and a glance at the alarm clock   
beside him showed it was already 7:00am. Yawning, he dragged himself out of   
bed, stretching his aching muscles from yesterday. Dragging his feet   
towards the entrance to their dorm, he failed to notice the blue eyes that   
followed him.  
Outside in the passage way, a few people were rushing backwards and   
forwards, struggling with bags or sewing elastics to their dance shoes, one   
boy was even brushing his teeth as he rushed towards his dorm.  
Three girls, he noticed, were standing by the entrance to room 07 talking   
quickly together in hushed voices. As soon as they saw him emerge, they   
looked up excitedly, but seeing who it was they returned to their   
discussion. Sendoh was disgusted to see that one girl was holding a pair of   
pom-poms behind her back. So, this must be the infamous Rukawa Shintai...   
Sendoh shuddered before continuing down the hallway.  
People didn't give him a second glance as they all hurried off to where they   
were supposed to be, various early morning classes and so forth.  
Sendoh loved this time of the day, busy, morning people, like him already   
preparing for the day. Classes all started at 8:00... but that didn't stop   
many late risers from sleeping in until 8:30! Sendoh had heard a rumour   
that one day, Rukawa hadn't gotten up until lunch time at 1:00! (Besides   
his dancing, his looks, and his icy personality, the next best thing known   
about the super rookie was his ability to sleep any place at any time.)  
Sendoh couldn't help yawning again, not having slept very well last night.   
He'd kept waking and finding himself unable to return to sleep, thinking   
about Anzai-sensai and the dance.  
Was he really good enough to do it?... the steps all seemed so difficult!   
And the show was only a few months away... and dancing next to Rukawa was   
going to be some tough act. He had so many worries that he failed to notice   
a door open in front of him and a boy step out.  
They collided painfully.  
"Itai!" They exclaimed together, Sendoh vaguely thinking that banging   
into people was becoming a speciality of his.  
The boy in front of him was tall, but no where near as tall as himself, with   
a small scar on his chin. His hair was tousled and there were dark marks   
under his eyes showing that he also hadn't had much sleep. He rubbed his   
arm sheepishly and cast an eye over Sendoh.  
"You the new guy?"  
Sendoh raised his eyebrows... does everyone know everything in this school!?   
The scar faced boy saw the look of surprise on his face and grinned, waving a   
hand idly.  
"Kogure mentioned you."  
"Oh, right."  
There was an awkward silence, and Sendoh racked his brains, thinking of  
something to say.  
"Wanna join me for breakie??"  
"Sure. I'm Mitsui Hisashi by the way."  
"Sendoh Akira, nice to meet you."  
And the two made their way towards the breakfast hall.  
  
  
As Sendoh drained the last of his miso soup, two familiar looking figures  
entered the hall together, one happy looking Sakuragi and one shattered  
looking Rukawa, who looked as sleepy as Sendoh felt. Obviously   
rehearsals last night hadn't been too kind to him either.  
Sendoh watched them, jealously creeping through him, as they sat down together and   
Sakuragi began munching on a piece of toast, chattering away idly. Rukawa,   
however, was obviously not listening to a word he was saying, and eventually   
his head drooped and rested on the table. He began to snore.  
Sendoh smiled secretly to himself and turned his attention back to Mitsui,   
who was proving to be very interesting, having a wealth of knowledge about   
dancing and the school, but in no way seeming like a know-it-all. There was   
something about him that Sendoh liked, maybe it was the sense of mystery   
that seemed to surround him.  
Kogure joined them not long after, greeting Sendoh cheerfully but also  
looking quite tired and yawning widely every so often. The adoring looks   
Mitsui kept throwing at his spectacled companion did not go unnoticed by   
Sendoh.  
Glancing up, Sendoh saw Sakuragi getting up to depart, leaving Rukawa still   
sleeping at the table. Sendoh quickly excused himself and hurried off,   
hoping to catch up with the red head as he made his way back to the dorm.  
"Hey! Hana!!"  
The boy stopped and looked back, a grin on his face when he saw his friend.   
"Akira! Good morning... did you have a nice sleep??"  
"Yes thanks...." Sendoh lied "...are you heading back to the dorm??"  
"Yep... I have a warm up session in..." he glanced at his watch   
"...exactly 5 minutes, and I'm still in my pyjamas!"  
"I'll come with you."  
They continued walking for a while in silence, Sendoh simply enjoying being   
in Sakuragi's company.  
"Um... Rukawa mentioned you last night, when he came back from   
rehearsals."  
Sendoh looked up quickly.  
"He did? What did he say?"  
"Um... he said you were a very good dancer... um... his exact words were   
that you were... fascinating."  
"Fascinating?? Wha-"  
"I've never heard him compliment anyone before..." Sakuragi looked at him   
seriously, with some sort of awe in his eyes "...you must be amazing."  
"Eh?" Sendoh could feel that he was turning the colour of a beetroot   
very rapidly, nevertheless his heart seemed to be soaring.  
Sakuragi's words replayed themselves in his head throughout the day;  
  
You must be amazing.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
First class was exhausting. Sendoh's limbs seemed to have turned to lead by   
the time he walked out of it an hour later, and he still had 2 more classes   
this morning before lunch time.  
As everyone else hurried past him to their performance lesson at the other   
end of the building, Sendoh took a second to lean again the wall in the   
corridor and catch his breath.  
  
His heart was still pounding in his chest when a voice spoke in a concerned   
tone;  
"Sendoh??"  
Sendoh looked up quickly and made a noise that sounded a bit like 'euk' when   
he looked into the cheery eyes of Anzai-sensai that were peering at him with   
interest over the top of his glasses.  
"Sensai!" He stood bolt upright, "I was... um... I was..."  
"Catching your breath??"  
Slightly embarrassed Sendoh nodded, acutely aware that the other's hadn't   
been out of breath when they had exited the class room. Anzai, however,   
seemed unperturbed and carried on as if he hadn't noticed the embarrassment in   
Sendoh's eyes.  
"I was just on my way to another lesson... and I was looking for an  
opportunity to talk with you today... come. We'll walk together. Unless,   
that is, you are meeting someone, or if walking with a teacher is   
considered..." He smiled at Sendoh, his eyes twinkling ".../uncool/, in the   
words of the young."  
"Not at all!"  
So they started the walk to the area of the school know as the 'Maki Wing',   
built after the departure of one of Shohoku's world class dancers from the   
school.  
  
  
Anzai left Sendoh at the door to his next class. As the man entered the   
room and closed the door behind him, Sendoh finally had a chance to ponder   
upon what the old coach had just told him in the deserted corridor.  
Tonight, Anzai wanted him to practise along with Rukawa, to see if they   
would work well together. Sendoh's heart began to sink, how was he supposed   
to work well with that block of ice, and to make it worse, the block of ice   
who happened to be dating his crush?!  
Yes, Sendoh had decided that his feelings for Hanamichi were just a crush,   
he'd get over it soon enough.  
He began to walk with a new, more determined stride to the appointed studio   
for his performance class.  
He just had a crush.  
But already... something was telling him that wasn't true.  
And really... he knew he was lying to himself.  
  
You must be amazing...  
  
Tbc~  
  
Star ~Indifference is a talent  



	8. Broken Ice

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
Pt 8  
  
The room was empty when he arrived. Well... he _was_ 15 minutes early   
he supposed dully.  
Taking the opportunity, he warmed himself up quickly, before going over the   
steps from yesterday's dance again. Reciting them out loud as he moved   
about the room.  
1 - 2 - 3 ... 1 - 2- 3 ... 1 - 2 - 3 ...  
"Baka! What stupid timing!" He yelled at no one in particular except the   
walls. There was definitely something about 3/4 timing that meant his feet   
got all twisted...  
Right... he'd start again; 1 - 2 - 3 ... 1 - 2...  
The door swung open and a sleepy looking Rukawa entered. The raven haired   
boy gave a small start noticing Sendoh, and cast a quick eye over his firm   
muscles and toned upper body.  
Was that a small smile?... or a smirk??  
Sendoh looked away and continued to go over the steps (only this time, not   
counting aloud).  
Rukawa also warmed himself up slowly, although Sendoh was careful not to   
glance in his direction. The atmosphere in the room was ridiculously tense,   
but thankfully it seemed to shatter when Anzai-sensai entered not one minute   
later.  
He beamed at both of them.  
"Hohohoho! We're both keen aren't we!"  
Rukawa stared blankly at him, although Sendoh noticed a sort of grudging  
respect in the icy eyes.  
"Well... shall we start??"  
Anzai moved to the centre of the room, like a sort of circus ring master he   
set up a series of things for the two boys to do.  
  
It certainly wasn't what Sendoh was expecting, he was all geared up to learn   
impossible steps and make a complete idiot out of himself in front of   
Rukawa, but, and it may not seem believable, they started the session with a   
round of musical bumps.  
Confused, yet sure that Anzai-sensai was just warming them up in a rather   
original way, Sendoh played the game and ended up winning against Rukawa.  
Laughing at their antics, the teacher announced that they should play   
another round, Rukawa won this time. Feeling sure that the stupidity had   
ended, Sendoh stood up, but was only proved wrong when Anzai began a   
handstand competition.  
And so it continued, every time Sendoh thought that it was over, a new game   
was devised, sleeping lions, cartwheels, even a limbo competition. And   
then, just when Sendoh thought he wouldn't take much more of this, Anzai   
announced that was the end of the session.  
"Nani!? But... but... we didn't /do/ anything!"  
"Oh didn't we?" Anzai smiled with a twinkle in his eyes, before turning   
and leaving the room silently.  
Sendoh was practically fuming, "Rukawa!" He spluttered, "What on   
earth...what does he mean?!"  
Rukawa hauled his sports bag labouriously onto his shoulder with a sigh; "I   
thought it was quite obvious."  
"What?"  
"Well... you're talking to me, and I'm talking to you."  
"Eh?"  
Rukawa rolled his eyes and opened the studio door. "I have rehearsals, good   
night."  
"Ru-" Sendoh started to speak, but the door closed behind Rukawa   
abruptly.  
  
Flopping onto his bed a few hours later, Sendoh ran his hands irritably   
though his hair. Rukawa had been so sharp after the session, Sendoh   
couldn't understand why this was bothering him, I mean, Rukawa didn't   
usually even acknowledge his /existence/ yet alone say good night.  
What had changed between them?  
With this thought in mind, Sendoh drifted into a well earned sleep.  
  
Rukawa entered the dorm around half an hour later, and he automatically made   
his way to Sakuragi's bedside and kissed the flaming red hair good night.  
Sakuragi stirred, and rolled over, murmuring 'Kaede' as he did so, still  
asleep. Rukawa's eyes did not soften as they looked at him. No indeed,   
they in fact hardened.  
As silent as he ever was, he made his way to his own bed and slipped between   
the sheets. He too rolled over, and his eyes fell on Sendoh. Rukawa lay   
awake, watching the sleeping boy for several minutes before exhaustion swept   
over him.  
  
Maybe it was because the training that day had been extra vigorous, but no   
one stirred from their beds that night.  
  
~tbc  
  
Star  
~ Indifference is a talent.  



	9. The Gossip

Rukawa's Secret Passion, pt 9   
  
Ohhh dear... part 9 ^^;;;. Will this ever end I hear you asking. Well... I've never written anything   
as long as this... I know the ending... but whether I'll ever get there is a different matter ^^;;;.   
Hang on in there ^^.   
  
  
The canteen was packed as usual with over a hundred Shohoku students. Sendoh picked his way   
through the crowded room towards a table in a far corner. Around it sat 4 familiar faces   
belonging to Kogure, Mitsui, Sakuragi and Rukawa. But there was a 5th face, unfamiliar this   
time, sitting beside Mitsui. He was a sweet looking boy with a kind face and sparkling eyes.   
Drawing closer, Sendoh watched him chatting quickly to the boys around him, all of whom were   
listening intently.   
Sendoh dropped himself into the vacant seat beside Rukawa and caught the other boys eye.   
Smiling he held out a hand;   
"Sendoh. Nice to meet you."   
"Ah yes..." the boy took his hand gently "...I've heard about you. I'm Jin."   
"Here." Rukawa suddenly interrupted, "Jin, how do you know that what you're saying is the   
truth?"   
The boy smiled at Rukawa,   
"I saw it with my own eyes... Kyota was there too..."   
"And I suppose..." Rukawa continued, "...that there is a perfectly good explanation why you and   
the wild monkey were there together in the first place?"   
"Eh!?" Jin began to flush red, "oh... um... we were..."   
"Don't worry about it Jin," Kogure came to his rescue, "that's entirely your business."   
Rukawa scowled slightly at Kogure as Jin threw him a grateful smile.   
"What's going on?" Sendoh piped up, interested to learn what was causing this drama.   
"Oh..." Sakuragi said with a wave of his hand, "Jin claims to have seen Fujima and Hanagatta   
in lip lock behind the bike shed."   
"I did!"   
"I know you're not a liar Jin, but, Hanagatta just never seemed the type..."   
Sendoh sniggered quietly, "Not so sure about the other one though are we?"   
Mitsui sniggered with him, and the corners of Kogure's mouth tweaked upwards.   
Across the room, Jin suddenly spotted Kyota looking around for a free table. The boy quickly   
excused himself and rushed off to join him.   
  
Kogure continued to smile; "Well, what do you make of that then?"   
"Which?" Mitsui joked. "Fujima and Hanagatta, or Jin and Kyota?"   
"Either."   
"Hmmm..." Sakuragi tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Fujima and Hanagatta... can you just   
/imagine/ Fujima battering those long eyelashes and hypnotising Hanagatta into bed..."   
"Don't forget the feather boa..."   
"The /pink/ feather boa!"   
"No, make that purple, heehee."   
"Yeah... and the leopard skin bed sheets..."   
"...And the fluffy pink handcuffs!!"   
The boys fell about laughing at the ludicrous images forming in their minds (although how far they   
were from the truth we may never know ^^)   
Rukawa finished his lunch quickly and disappeared, muttering something about rehearsals to   
Sakuragi.   
Sendoh then nervously asked the red head where his next class was. Encouragingly it was in the   
same block as Sendoh's next lesson, and so the two boys planned to walk together.   
Mitsui and Kogure, however, were busy having what could only be described as a lovers tiff. The   
argument went along the lines of whether they should show more respect to Fujima, as he was   
pretty much one of their teachers.   
Sendoh smiled as he watched them argue, feeling sure that they would kiss and make up by the   
end of the day.   
  
He was just leaving the dinning hall with Sakuragi when the pair were intercepted by Anzai-sensai,   
who himself had just emerged from the teachers dinning room opposite.   
"Ah! Sendoh! I was hoping to see you. I apologise if you are busy..." he glanced at Sakuragi   
who bowed low, "...but I have arranged for this module that you should skip your regular class   
and join me at the show rehearsals..."   
"Oh... um..." Sendoh turned to Sakuragi, "...you don't mind walking on your own??"   
Sakuragi laughed at him, "I think I'm big enough and ugly enough to find my own way to class!"   
"You're not ugly." Sendoh protested as Sakuragi turned to walk away.   
Sakuragi glanced over his shoulder and waved cheerfully, "Later!" Before disappearing round   
a corner.   
Sendoh would probably have stood and waved in a daze at nothing for a further 10 minutes if   
Anzai hadn't put a hand on his shoulder and steered him firmly down the hallway.   
  
~tbc 


	10. The Gundam

Rukawa's Secret Passion   
pt 10   
  
Warnings - back to writing short chapters again... opps ^^;;.   
  
Sendoh yawned widely, resting his chin on his hands as his eyes grew heavy.   
Bloody authorities...   
The teacher up at the front of the class was donning on and on, and practically no one in the class   
was listening. You can't blame them really, and the teacher made no effort to capture their   
imaginations.   
Maths was a compulsory subject, all school students in the country were required to learn it, but   
seeing as all the students at Shohoku all wished to become dancers, this lesson was considered   
as a nice opportunity for a nap.   
In fact, only one person in the room was sitting upright and attentive at the back of the classroom,   
a few desks away from Sendoh.   
The boy was huge, his shoulders broad and his height immense. In fact, he seriously resembled   
a gor-   
"Akagi."   
"Sir?"   
"Please come up and solve this problem."   
As he got up, Sendoh realised that the boy was much taller than himself, and he picked his way   
with grace through the rows of sleeping students.   
Sendoh had seen him at the show rehearsals during the last lesson. He was a good dancer, yes,   
even if he looked a bit odd, but questioning Rukawa, Sendoh had discovered that Akagi was not   
so much a dancer, more a choreographer.   
"Oh? I didn't know Shohoku did those courses?"   
But Rukawa had already fallen asleep.   
  
When the bell finally rang, signalling the end of the maths lesson, there was a huge surge of people   
towards the door. Sendoh was the last one out except Akagi who was in deep discussion with   
the teacher about why he only got 95% on his last homework. Sendoh tried not to look at the   
glaring fail' written on his own homework as he stuffed it hurriedly into his bag.   
Sakuragi was standing outside the classroom when Sendoh emerged, surrounded by a group of   
friends.   
Sendoh turned green when he saw how close one particularly good looking boy was standing to   
him.   
"So where's lova boy eh?" The boy joked, putting a hand on Sakuragi's arm. "Don't tell me   
he's dumped you!!"   
Sakuragi laughed, "Why?" He questioned "Would you lose the bet?"   
"Hanamichi! How could you /think/ such a thing!! I'm your /best friend/!"   
"Yeah, whatever Yohei." Sakuragi shrugged the boys hand off.   
"Hana, listen, me and the boys fancy going you-know-where tonight. Join us, I'll pay, you can   
consider it your birthday present!"   
"Yohei!" Sakuragi hissed in an urgent whisper. "We almost got caught last time! We   
shouldn't..."   
"Ahhh... loosen up Hana! You've been really uptight recently, it must be that icy guy getting   
to ya!"   
Sakuragi threw him a disapproving look.   
"Yohei's right..." Another boy with an odd looking moustache spoke up, "a night in town   
would do you the world of good. We'll go check out the chicks... beat a few punks..."   
"Yeah!" Yohei threw an arm over the red heads shoulder, "You need a break, time to relax!"   
Personally, Sendoh couldn't see how beating up guys was meant to be relaxing, but then, he   
wasn't part of the gundam.   
"Hmmm..." Sakuragi looked at his fist, "Okay... count me in..."   
"WAHOO!" His surrounding friends cheered and threw confetti.   
"...BUT" Everyone stopped their celebrations and looked at him. "We'll have to be back early,   
definitely before 3am."   
"What? Why?" A few boys whined   
"Because I say so! And besides..." He began to walk away, throwing a wink over his shoulder,   
"...got some catching up with my boyfriend to do ^^."   
He disappeared into the crowds and wandered off. The gundam dispersed, discussing   
arrangements for that nights venture.   
  
Sendoh's first thought was that he could follow them that night, but then the thought of   
Sakuragi's face if he was spotted put him off the idea, besides the fact that he was seriously   
shattered.   
A growl from his stomach told him it was lunch time, so, clogs turning in his mind, he followed   
the smell of food towards the hall.   
  
~tbc 


	11. The Triangle

Rukawa's Secret Passion pt 11   
  
When Sendoh finally returned to the dorm room, it was late. The room would have been pitch   
black if it wasn't for the small reading light switched on on the table between his bed and   
Rukawa's. The icy boy was lying on top of his covers, wearing trousers but with nothing   
covering his torso. He was reading a book, but he looked up when Sendoh walked in.   
Sakuragi's bed was predictably empty, as was Kogure's, all the other boys were asleep.   
"Where've you been?" Rukawa questioned with interest.   
"Nowhere." Sendoh wasn't about to admit that he'd stayed back and practised in one of the   
studios hoping to catch a glimpse of the gundam as they left for their night on the town. He   
hadn't seen them, he hadn't really expected to, but at least he'd managed to get his head around   
the dance after all that practising.   
"Nowhere?" Rukawa's voice had a hint of amusement, although the boy was stoney faced as   
usual.   
Sendoh didn't reply, he walked with his head high, past Rukawa's bed and sat on his own. He   
could feel Rukawa's eyes on him, but was determined not to look in the boys direction.   
Wishing Rukawa would look away he pulled off his t-shirt, exposing his pale skin to the cool air   
in the room. Uneasy with the way Rukawa was still looking at him, he hastily snatched his pyjama   
top, but his quick fingers caused him to fumbled it and it fell gently to the floor.   
Swearing inwardly he couched to pick it up, and heard the unmistakeable rustle of Rukawa's   
sheets as the boy stood up and stretched.   
Please let him be going away, thought Sendoh.   
Rukawa's blue eyes shinning in the lamp light were really freaking him out.   
No such luck though, as Sendoh stood up with his shirt in one hand, he instantly dropped it again   
as strong arms circled his waist and pulled him easily against a firm body.   
"I've been waiting for you." Rukawa said simply, whispering in his ear softly   
No, thought Sendoh silently, desperately, this is /not/ happening!   
"While the cat's away, the mice will play..." Rukawa's bare skin against his was electrifying and   
a chill sent down Sendoh's spine, and his whispered words sounded so intoxicating in his ear.   
  
Rukawa breathed in deeply, he could almost taste Sendoh, almost.   
Sendoh was everything that he wanted, everything that Sakuragi wasn't, he was perfect and he   
tasted so good...   
  
A flickering tongue played gently on Sendoh's neck, tasting the sweet skin. It seemed to jerk   
Sendoh back to life though and the boy viciously pulled himself away, breaking free of Rukawa's   
arms and his sweet tortures.   
"What the hell are you doing?" He growled with real venom that he'd never thought he was   
capable of. He words sliced through the atmosphere shattering the scene and even causing   
Rukawa to take a step backwards in alarm, it was a miracle that no one in the room woke up.   
Seeing the angry look on Sendoh's face, Rukawa decided it wasn't such a good idea to continue   
with the current plan.   
Time for plan B.   
"I'm sorry," he choked out convincingly, "I just... saw you that day and, and I can't get up off   
my mind... I don't know why, I..."   
Devilishly, Rukawa smiled inwardly as Sendoh's face took on a look of concern. With a flourish,   
Rukawa finished his piece of perfect acting by bursting into innocent tears and sobbing hopelessly,   
hiding his face in his hands.   
Shocked at Rukawa's sudden change, but sincerely concerned for him, Sendoh gathered him up   
in his arms and held him tight, stroking his back in a soothing way.   
Rukawa took the opportunity to hiss in his ear; "You will be mine."   
Sendoh started at the words and was about to pull away, but Rukawa was still sobbing on his   
shoulder.   
Must have imagined it, he thought puzzled.   
Rukawa smiled to himself, no need to tell Sendoh that before transferring to Shohoku he'd   
attended the Italia Conti Stage School for Performing Arts, a famous stage school whose policy   
was to educate it's pupils in not just one area, but in singing, dancing and acting together,   
believing that this would give them a head start in the world of performing arts.   
One-nil, he thought with a twisted smile.   
  
What Rukawa hadn't noticed was a boy peeking through the door, but now was running back to   
his own dorm as quietly as he could down the corridor, all thoughts of his sleeping lover in room   
07 pushed to one side in the face of this new piece of gossip.   
Gossip yes, but this was dangerous gossip, and he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. His first   
thought was to tell Kogure who he knew was sleeping beside Mitsui.   
  
~tbc   
  
Uh oh... look what happened ^^, heh heh. (Please don't kill me... Pastles, I promise it'll sort itself   
out!!)   
Yes, before you ask, I was planning this to happen from the beginning (senru is my favourite   
pairing y'know!) (Although thinking about it, this is actually Rusen right? Sounds like an   
Austrian name ^^ teehee)   
Hmm... so who was it peeking in on our sweet' ickle scene? If you don't know, don't worry,   
you'll find out soon enough, although I should think you can hazard a guess. Originally it was   
meant to be Sakuragi, but the story got altered a bit by the wandering muses (and the wandering   
gundam).   
  
Oh well... all that's left to be said is that Italia Conti is a stage school in London, great place, I   
don't go there (wish I did! T_T) but I know some of the students and they're all really sweet...   
and so /talented!/ Good luck all you guys!   
  
Thanx for reading minna!   
Star   
~ Indifference is a talent 


	12. The Club

Rukawa's Secret Passion pt12  
  
Sakuragi followed his friends out of one club and into the next, not really paying attention as to  
where he was headed. As promised, Yohei always paid for him to get in, but as his mind was  
elsewhere, he forgot to thank his friend.  
Scanning the dancing bodies, Sakuragi felt closed in and the pounding beat of the music was  
giving him a serious headache.  
  
One boy standing awkwardly in a far corner suddenly caught his eye. You couldn't say he was  
anything special, his dark eyes and brown hair were quite ordinary, but something about the way  
the boy stood so unsure of himself attracted Sakuragi.  
Not being one to admire from a distance, Sakuragi began to pick his way through the people,  
weaving in and out of them, trying not to get his foot stomped on. The boy still hadn't noticed  
him by the time the red head drew near, and the deafening music meant that Sakuragi had to  
gently touch the boys arm to get his attention.  
The boy spun round immediately, surprise in his eyes.  
"Hi!" Sakuragi yelled with a smile, holding out a hand for the stranger to shake. "Would you  
like to dance?"  
The shorter boy appeared to ponder for a moment before shrugging in a way that indicated he had  
nothing to lose, and he walked with Sakuragi to the centre of the dance floor.  
A slow song started to play and the boy gently put his hands on Sakuragi's back and rested his  
head against the firm chest.  
Wrapping his arms around the smaller boy, Sakuragi felt oddly content as they swayed together,  
for the first time that night his thoughts were drawn away from Rukawa.  
Yohei winked at him from the bar across the room, and Sakuragi grinned back.  
  
When the song ended, Sakuragi took his new friend by the hand and led him towards the bar, but  
slightly left of Yohei so they could talk in private.  
"Drink?" Sakuragi asked. Even though it was quieter in this little corner, he still had to raise  
his voice to be heard over the music.  
"Vodka. Thanks."  
A little worried that the young boy should be drinking vodka, Sakuragi asked the pretty young  
girl behind the bar for two glasses of the liqour.  
"So, what's you name?" Sakuragi inquired of the boy as their drinks were placed in front of  
them.  
"Koshino, and you?" said the boy politely.  
"Koshino? I swear I've heard that name somewhere before... oh well, never mind, I'm Sakuragi,  
but most people call me Hana."  
"Hana... and Sakura? Sweet hmm?" Koshino smiled as he sipped from his glass carefully.  
"Yeah, looks like my mom was quite a gardener don't it?! Haha, well... you're a student yes?"  
"Yes, sort of, but I'm not academic or anything, I'm a dance student..."  
"Really?!" Sakuragi exclaimed excitedly, "me too! What school are you at? I go to  
Shohoku..."  
"Oh..." Koshino's smiled faltered slightly and became quite fixed, "...Shohoku, that's... uh...  
nice. I go to Ryonan."  
Sakuragi suddenly clicked his fingers as realisation dawned on him, "Oh! Now I know how I  
know your name! God, I can't believe I didn't realise earlier, I mean, Sendoh talks about you  
enough!"  
All the colour drained from Koshino's face, "Sendoh?" he choked.  
  
~tbc  
  
NOTES   
This story line is bouncing all over the shop at the moment! I promise that I /do/ know the ending  
to this, although it seems pretty insane presently ^^;;;  
Don't ask me where Koshino came from, he just, /appeared/ somewhere along the line. I wanted  
Sakuragi to meet someone, and then I thought of Koshino, and then a whole storyline developed  
from that, and now I can't change my mind! Heh heh.  
  
If you're still wondering who was peeking though the doorway, don't worry... it's in the next  
chapter ^^.  
  
Oh, and a question about Koshino for you guys... I need someone for him to end up with at the  
end. I have a rough idea, but it's not the best and so I'm open to offers. Mail any ideas to;  
ice_cold_kaede@hotmail.com  
and I shall be very grateful. Only one restriction, as this is a rusen vs senhana vs ruhana' fic...  
there's not going to be any senkosh at the end, so that's not an option folks, sorry ^^;;; (I /do/ like  
senkosh tho... maybe I'll write one as an apology ^^)  
  
And all my apologies to Koshino fans, he's /totally/ ooc, :-p, and I'm sorry for saying that he was  
nothing special, he is /wonderful!/ Really... ^^;;;;.   
  
Star  
~ Indifference is a talent 


	13. A New Friend

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
pt13  
  
"Kogure! Kogure! KOGURE!!"  
"Uh?" Kiminobu Kogure sat bolt upright in bed, "where's the fire?"  
Beside him, Mitsui stirred and roll over, "go to sleep," he murmured.  
"Kogure! I need to tell you something!"  
"Wha-... Jin??" Kogure squinted at the boy kneeling beside the bed.  
"Yeah! You won't /believe/ what I just saw...!"  
Kogure moaned and fell back down onto the bed.  
"Tell me in the morning," he complained  
"No, seriously Kogure, it's important! It's about Rukawa and Hana!"  
"Hana isn't here, I saw him on his way out..."  
"Exactly." Said Jin mysteriously.  
Kogure opened his eyes wide and looked at the boy,   
"Tell me."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Tell me." Said Sakuragi after dragging Koshino out to the back yard of the club, ignoring the  
kissing couples around them. He was shocked when Koshino looked up at him, tears sparkling  
in his dark eyes.  
"I just... just... miss him so /much/!!" He exclaimed, dissolving into tears.  
"Hey! Hey! Shhhhh..." Sakuragi pulled Koshino to his chest and smoothed his hair, oblivious  
to the angry looks being thrown at them by the surrounding couples.  
"He was my best friend..." Koshino continued to sob, "I /knew/ how much going to Shohoku  
meant to him. He admires Anzai so much, and I... I... I hoped he wouldn't get a place! What sort  
of a friend /am/ I??!!"  
"Nobody wants to lose touch with a friend Koshino, I understand..."  
But the large amount alcohol in Koshino's system caused him to continue, ignoring Sakuragi's  
coments completely  
"I /tried/ to compromise, I did, we even went to the auditions together, but, oh, I was never the  
dancer Sendoh was..."  
"Believe me, I can relate to that," Sakuragi told him heavily, "Look, you two are obviously close  
friends..."  
"No." Koshino sighed, "No, it's more than that... he's more than that... to me..."  
"More?"  
"I /love/ him. I always have, but I never told him, and now I've lost him..."  
Koshino began to sob completely uncontrollably, and Sakuragi could only hold and sooth him  
gently.  
"Listen Kosh... can I call you that??" Koshino nodded in the midst of his sobs. "...sometime,  
next week maybe, why don't you come up to the school? I can easily sneak you in, it'd be a great  
surprise for Sendoh!"  
The crying boy finally began to gain control over himself.  
"Really?" He whispered.  
"Yeah! Course! Just name a date!"  
"Oh, um, I don't know..."  
"Say... this time next week??"  
And the two boys continued to discuss their plans for the rest of the night,a friendship slowly  
bonding between them.  
  
~ tbc  
  
NOTES  
God... that chapter was short! Sorry guys... I'll try writer a longer one next time ^^.  
This is getting really complicated ^^;;;.   
  
Oh... y'know Maki isn't really in this story, so I'm not worried about him... although he was  
mentioned *by mistake I may add* in one chapter (did you spot it?) It's in the same chapter as  
I got the colour of Fujima's eyes wrong *bangs head on table* I /know/ now he has blue eyes,  
I just always think they're green for some reason (probably cos he's in Shoyo right?) It's not /my/  
fault, mangas aren't in colour y'know!  
  
Ah well, enough of the babbling. Thanx for reading!  
Star  
~ Indifference is a talent 


	14. The Situation

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
pt 14  
  
All week long, Sendoh had avoided Sakuragi, and Rukawa if he could manage it. He honestly  
didn't know how to face either of them. It had dawned on him the day after the events that he'd  
been taken in by Rukawa, and the boy was behaving towards him even worse than before.  
Thinking back to the beginnings, Sendoh thought that what had been growing between them was  
a friendship, but now it was clear Rukawa's intentions were never to form such a thing. Glances,  
little comments that meant nothing on their own, but when piled all together... it was so obvious!  
How on earth could he have been so stupid!?  
And now... now everything was wrong. His life, and everything in it would have been so good,  
if it wasn't for Kaede Rukawa. The sneers he could bear, and the teasing comments and looks,  
but it was the threats that were driving him mad...  
Hana would be interested to know...' I wonder what my Hana-kun would think??' Maybe he  
knows already??'  
Everytime Sendoh brushed past him in the corridor, there was something in that expression, no  
longer pure ice, Sendoh now saw a malice, and he was scared by it. Rukawa had already  
demonstrated he didn't have a care for Sakuragi, what was there stopping him from telling his  
boyfriend?  
"Hana-kun? I think Sendoh's hot... and he feels the same way about me. I feel nothing for you.   
What do you think we were doing that night you were out?? Huh??"  
  
Oh... and to make it worse, Sakuragi would believe him. In the innocent eyes of the red head,  
Kaede Rukawa was life itself.  
There was only one thing that stopped it. Rukawa wanted him. Rukawa wanted Sendoh. And  
as long as Sakuragi would never find out, Sendoh was prepared to give Rukawa his lips, but  
never, ever, any more.  
It was blackmail. Rukawa was blackmailing him, but he didn't have much choice.  
  
Sakuragi. Sendoh knew now how hard he had fallen, he loved the boy with all his heart. He  
would give anything for him, to protect him from the horrible truth.   
Rukawa doesn't love you'   
Sendoh knew it would crush him cruelly, even if he didn't add on the end, he loves me though'.   
He couldn't face him.   
Rukawa's lips were soft, but searing, and Sendoh was sure you could smell his scent in his clothes  
and in his hair. Every time he even saw the red head he would blush and look away, and always  
when he saw the red head, Rukawa was there too. Running pale fingers through silk red hair and  
kissing gently a soft pink cheek, and throwing a look at Sendoh which read clearly; He's still  
mine.'  
  
Sendoh could not believe how his life was falling apart. He was trapped in this triangle with no  
way out. But he knew, as well as Rukawa that one day, Sakuragi would find out. Then Rukawa  
would lose his favorite toy... but Sendoh would lose everything.  
  
The day came sooner than expected...  
  
The secret was held only for a week. Sendoh found himself at Rukawa's mercy only for a week,  
but a long week it proved to be. The show was drawing near, meaning he spent almost every  
waking moment with the boy rehersing, or doing other things.  
  
What made it worse was that he was paranoid someone knew about it. There was just a feeling  
eating away at him that someone knew, that someone was watching him with this knowledge.   
Asking Rukawa, he'd just laughed, how stupid, how could anyone know? He hadn't told  
anyone... yet.  
Sendoh knew, he knew someone knew, he just didn't know who it was... then came that day,  
today, the final day.  
  
The day before the show...  
  
~tbc 


	15. The Visitor and The Untimely Entrance

Rukawa's secret Passion  
pt 15  
  
Koshino met Sakuragi at the front gate, his hands shaking slightly.  
"Hey." Sakuragi whispered with a soft smile, "and welcome to Shohoku... the best dancing  
school in Japan."  
"I'm very glad to be here."  
"I assure you the view is spectacular, but, um..." Sakuragi glanced at the buliding almost  
invisable in the pitch darkness, "...the decorative georgian artitecture is hidden by the absence of  
any lighting..."  
Koshino laughed quietly, "so shall you go and show me the wonders of the building?"  
"Oh yes! Of course!! Here, can you climb the gate yourself??"  
Silently, Koshino put a foot onto the iron railings and clambled up quietly as a mouse, dropping  
equally as silently beside Sakuragi, the only noise was the quiet crunch of gravel beneath his feet.  
"Professionally done" Sakuragi nodded with approval before whistling quietly across the  
grounds, alerting Yohei that Koshino made it over the gate.  
The shorter boy fancied that he saw a dark, rather plump, shadow scurrying along one side of the  
building but after a second it was gone and he began to wonder if he'd imagined it.  
A replying whistle wafted over from somewhere near a large oak tree.  
Before following Sakuragi over the dew soaked gorund, Koshino took a second to look up at the  
darkened building, standing unknowingly in exactly the same place as Sendoh had stood that first  
day many months ago.  
A strange feeling came over him... he was really here, in the grounds of Shohoku, and what  
Sakuragi had jokingly said was true... it /was/ the best dancing school in Japan.  
  
He shook his head and hurried after Sakuragi who was already half way across the grass.  
  
Yohei met them in the entrance way,  
"The tap teacher prowlled past about 5 minutes ago, but if you move your little asses quick  
enough you'll reach 07 without running into him."  
"Cheers Yohei, that's two I owe ya now."  
"What was the first for?"  
"Taking me out last week."  
"Oh! Ha, that's no problem! I did it for myself really, you were becoming a real drag."  
"Gee, thank you. Come on Kosh, we got places to go and people to see!"  
"Thank you Mito," said Koshino with a small grateful smile.  
"Call me Yohei... and it's been nice to see you."  
Koshino followed Sakuragi down a long, dark corridor, lined on either side with doors at irregualr  
intervals, Sakuragi explained most to him as they passed, "This is the senior ballet studio 1, and  
this is the second, and the third, and this is the senior performance room and this is the senior  
practise room, basically this is the senior corridor. Here is the junior modern room..."  
They climbed a small set of stairs that were bland and painted shades of white and baby blue.  
"And here we have the dorms. Me and Sendoh are in the same one, 07... this is obviously the  
boys wing, we're not lucky enough to be with the girls. In fact, we're not even sure where their  
dorms are... in the roof someone said... ah! Here we are! My home!"  
Koshino glanced at the plain wood door, a light was switched on inside and emitted a pale glow  
through the cracks, enough to read the list stuck to the door;  
  
DORM 07  
head of dorm; Kogure  
- Kyota  
- Sakuragi  
- Hanagatta  
- Rukawa  
  
and scribbled roughly at the bottom in shakey biro;  
  
- Sendoh   
  
It seemed almost surreal. The boy he loved, and missed more than anything in the world, could  
he possibly just be on the other side of a thin door?? Could he really be less than a few steps  
away?  
He hands were shaking in his pockets as the door opened silently.  
  
Sakuragi froze, his eyes on Sendoh's bed. The spiky haired boy was there, his eyes closed as if  
in sleep, only he wasn't asleep. He was... he was kissing...   
Rukawa...' Sakuragi could only mouth silently, all colour draining immediately from his face.  
  
The red head didn't think as he snatched Koshino's wrist and fled down the corridor towards the  
bathrooms, leaving the dorm door slightly ajar behind him. Open enough to hear Sendoh's  
horrified voice float out behind him; "Hana!!"  
  
Reaching the bathroom, Sakuragi pulled Koshino inside with him and locked the door, flicking  
on the light, and stopping finally to think;  
"Oh Kosh... I'm so sorry... I didn't think... I didn't know..."  
"That's okay, Hana, I guess that's life... my fault... so, Sendoh must have a boyfriend??"  
"No... I... well, no he doesn't, or, I hope he doesn't... that was... well... that was /my/  
boyfriend..."  
Sakuragi couldn't stop the tears that began to leak and trickle a small stream down his cheeks.  
"Oh Hana...!"  
Koshino wrapped his arms around the boy and let him cry on his shoulder.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Rukawa's secret Passion  
pt 16  
  
Sendoh didn't sleep at all that night.  
He spent the majority of it outside the bathroom door, knocking gently and calling "Hana... Hana  
are you okay?"  
Then he'd spent 20 minutes trying to convince Kogure that he /knew/ the show was tomorrow,  
and that he /knew/ he had to get some rest, and that he'd definitely go to bed as soon as possible.  
Next came the revelation that Sakuragi wasn't alone in the bathroom, someone was there  
consoling him, and that very familiar voice had told him in no uncertain terms that he was a  
complete bastard.  
"Huh? You /are/ you anyway?? I know your voice..."  
"Yes well... so you should do Sendoh Akira!"  
That caused his memory to snap into action; Sendoh Akira, only one person ever spoke his name  
like that... in that comanding tone...  
"Hiro-kun...?" he breathed.  
"Don't call me like that!"  
"Shino!! Shino come on!! Let me in already, I have to speak to Hana..."  
"Get lost! You're not the guy I used to know... /my/ Sendoh would never do this!!"  
"Oh Hiro-kun! I can explain! I promise I can!! And I'm not even going to /ask/ what an earth  
you are doing here in the middle of the night..."  
"Damn right you're not going to ask, cos it's none of your business, and you've got bigger  
questions to ask yourself right now!"  
"What??"  
"Like... what on earth did my mother do to turn me into this heartless, cruel bastard?'!"  
"Oh Hiro-kun..."  
"Oh sorry... did I say bastard? I meant SLUT!!"  
And so the arguement went on, until 4 o'clock in the morning.  
  
Defeated, at around 5am, Sendoh resignably returned to the dorm, to be met with the cold eyes  
of Rukawa.  
He couldn't help himself. It was so horribly out of his character that he couldn't explain, but he  
swung visiously at Rukawa and the conflict grew quickly into a full blown fight.  
Hanagatta and Kyota had pulled the two apart whist Kogure tried in vain to calm them, both boys  
looking ruffled.   
Rukawa had come off far worst than Sendoh, a split lip and serious nosebleed, and his left eye  
wouldn't open properly. But fortunetly, both boys armed only with their fists had been unable  
to cause any serious damage to the other.  
Mitsui appeared then from next door, roused by the comotion. He offered to exchange beds with  
Rukawa so that the two would be sleeping in separate rooms.  
  
The other boys didn't affect Sendoh and their whispered opinions he could easily ignore, but  
glancing into Kogure's open and shocked eyes showed him such a disappointment that he  
immediately felt worthless. It was such a poignant look, Sendoh couldn't help feeling so guilty,  
after all the kindness he'd been shown, he had to go and mess it up.  
"Go to sleep Sendoh... there is nothing more to be done tonight."  
  
His eyes were heavy, but he stayed awake and heard Sakuragi return and whisper farewells to  
Koshino, arranging for him to come and watch the show the next day.  
  
He felt like absolute dirt.  
Maybe he was...?  
  
~tbc 


	16. The Morning

Rukawa's Secret Passion   
pt 17   
  
The annual show dawned grey and gloomy, inside the school there was an inceasing sense of  
inpending doom... no, perhaps disaster was a more appropiate word. Tensions ran near to  
breaking point.   
  
You might say that dorm 07 should have had the peak of these tensions, as every one of its 6  
members was destined to face the music at the matinee performance in, oh, what, 5 hours. Indeed,  
the room was in total chaos for the past hour, on top of the several other students, who decided  
that this was the dorm to hang around in, meaning that in all it was over crowded, messy and the  
epicentre of disarray in the entire school.   
  
Kogure was trying in vain to stop things from getting out of hand. The list of lost items, stuck  
haphazardly to the back of the door with blue tack, was getting longer and longer with each  
passing second.   
  
Surely, Kogure thought, this atmosphere is going to break...   
  
And that's when it happened.   
  
All it took was a carelessly placed can of hairspray. Although perhaps a certain, slightly awkward  
boy could also be to blame. But the pure simplicity of the set up was enough to bring the brightest  
star in Shohoku crashing to the floor, sporting a second black eye, numerous bruises and a  
severely twisted ankle.   
  
And that was that.   
  
There seemed to be a few seconds when nobody said a word, there was a pause that stretched out  
for almost an eternity until every mouth hanging open in dorm 07 formed the same words, 'oh my  
god.'   
  
"Rukawa..." Kogure managed to choke with a look of absolute horror on his face.   
  
Unsurprisingly, no one rushed forward to claim the hairspray.   
  
Rukawa himself had a mildly dazed look as he sat on the floor, almost as if he was stoned. It  
would have been quite funny if the circumstances hadn't been so serious.   
  
The one who recovered first was Hanagatta, who managed to get everyone going again, and  
enlisted the help of some others to take Rukawa down to the sick bay.   
Kogure disappeared, and the next anyone heard of him he was having a miniature breakdown in  
the bathroom where Mitsui was trying to console him.   
  
Concerned for his friend, Sendoh was about to go and see him when Hanagatta grabbed his arm  
and pulled him forcefully back into the room, "You're not going anywhere." He stated, "You're  
going to going to stay here and make sure nothing gets broken and nobody tries to kill themselves  
while I go with Rukawa down to nurse."   
  
"But..."   
"No buts." Hanagatta spoke in a tone that wasn't to be argued with, and that indicated clearly that  
he was in charge.   
  
Sendoh nodded, slightly annoyed.   
  
Just after Hanagatta had left, what seemed like a second disaster struck. There was an almighty  
bang and the door was thrown back almost off its hinges.   
  
"We're here!!"   
  
The Sakuragi gundam flew into the room like several multicoloured human cannonballs. They  
started jumping on the beds gleefully in their pyjamas.   
  
"As you all know..." Noma announced gleefully "...it's traditional on show day for us to cause..."   
"AS MUCH MAYHEM AS POSSIBLE!!"   
  
Sendoh groaned inwardly, as they yelled and let off party poppers, how much worse could this  
get?   
  
Yohei leapt off Kyota's bed and knelt before Sakuragi, who was standing in the corner furthest  
from Sendoh and looked like he was fuming with anger at his friends.   
  
"Oh great and honoured Sakuragi Hanamichi, would you give me this dance??"   
  
Getting to feet, not waiting for a reply, Yohei wrapped his arms around Sakuragi's waist and  
began to waltz awkwardly with him around the room, trying to avoid standing on anything sharp.  
The guntai accompanied them with an awful excuse for singing, needless to say, completely out  
of tune.   
  
"GET OFF! Yohei... I'm not in the mood..."   
  
Sakuragi pushed his friend away, but the anger in his first words faded quickly to a pathetic  
whisper and his eyes cast downwards sadly.   
  
All eyes turned to the best friends in the middle of the room, surrounded by ballet tights, shoes,  
an alsortment of brightly coloured leotards and other such items.   
  
"Come on Hana..." said Yohei worriedly, taking his arm gently, and offering a tissue to stop the  
flow of tears that had started to run again.   
  
Sakuragi sniffed, trying desperately to stop the tears.   
  
Everyone was shocked by the change in the usually so cheerful a boy and several eyes flicked  
towards Sendoh. These included Yohei's which held a look of complete hatred.   
  
"Come on... come on Hana... hang around in our dorm for a while yes??"   
  
Yohei led Sakuragi out the door, his eyes not once leaving Sendoh, who looked away meekly, too  
ashamed of himself to stare back. Not everyone understood the glance between the two boys but  
didn't question Sendoh, who also fled the room, pushing past Hanagatta who'd just appeared in  
the doorway.   
  
There were tears burning in his eyes as he ran, out the school and into the grounds. He didn't care  
as the rain started to drip gently, wetting his face and hair, all he knew was that everything was  
wrong.   
  
Reaching the tall oak tree, he stopped and turned back to look at the building, it had always  
looked so magnificent to him, but now it was threatening. No longer a place to fulfill his dreams,  
but a place where they were shattered. The classrooms, the studios, the faces, the teachers, none  
of it made sense to him anymore. He'd arrived full of hopes, and now here he was, broken.   
  
Everything overwhelmed him, so he sat and cried, tears mixing with the ceasless rain drops.   
  
Anzai-sensei watched the boy from the window in his office. He sighed sadly and turned to  
Kogure standing in the doorway.   
  
"Sir?"   
"I don't want you concerned in this, Kogure. I know how fond you are of him, of /both/ of them,  
and I understand you want to help, but I need you to stay head of dorm and worry about getting  
everyone ready. The three of them must sort this out between themselves. I am going to speak  
with Rukawa, we have the pressing matter of the show to attend to, and we must discuss the  
implications of the most unfortunate accident."   
  
"His ankle?"   
  
"Yes... I daresay that I do not wish Sendoh to perform alone, and if another cannot be found, we  
might have to remove the entire dance from the programme..."   
  
Kogure nodded his head solemley as he left, knowing what Anzai had told him was certainly to  
be treated as confidential.   
  
And still Sendoh sat and cried, everything in his mind spining slowly out of control...   
  
~tbc 


	17. The Confession

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
  
pt 18  
  
And there was still chaos in the dorm, Hanagatta was slowly losing control. The news about Rukawa's accident had spread through the school insanely fast, and he hadn't got a clue where Kogure, Sendoh nor Hanamichi had gone. He needed someone to help him sort out the over excited gossiping boys, someone who was better at this than he was...  
  
"Hey! Don't you boys have a show to get ready for?"  
  
And there was silence.  
  
"What are you doing just standing there? You've only got 4 hours!"  
  
And then everyone suddenly had something they remembered they had to do.  
  
Hanagatta was absolutely amazed, "how did you do that!?" He exclaimed, turning to come nose to nose with his boyfriend. Fujima waved a hand idly, "Gift of the gab?"  
  
The taller boy kissed him quickly, "thank you."  
  
"Maa..." Fujima feigned disappointment, "...that's all I get?"  
  
Hanagatta laughed quietly, "wait till /after/ the show then."  
  
Fujima grinned and winking at him teasingly, "I look forward to it."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sakuragi."  
  
Anzai caught the boy's arm just as he was leaving the building. "I need to speak with you in my office."  
  
"Huh? Ah... Sir, I was just going to..."  
  
"And I need to speak with Sendoh. I would be glad if you could tell him I wish to see the two of you. Will you please accompany him, of course, /after/ any words you two wish to speak have been said."  
  
"Oh. Em... Yes Sir, of course I will..."  
  
"And you'd better take this."  
  
Anzai handed him a black umbrella. "Thank you Sir." Sakuragi bowed, before turning and running out the door into the rain.  
  
The wind was strong, almost knocking him back inside again. He had to be careful not to let the umbrella turn inside out as the rain lashed against the fabric.  
  
It was difficult to see through the pouring rain, and the well kept green lawn underfoot was slowly turning to nothing more than sloshy mud. He made his way towards the oak tree, standing tall and silhouetted in his vision.  
  
Somehow he knew that was where Sendoh was sheltering.  
  
Under the vast canopy of oak leaves and branches, the ground was relatively dry. It seemed separate somehow from the ceaseless rain pouring just a step away, and there was an eerie silence interrupted only by the occasional dripping from the leaves. And, of course, the random sobs of the boy leaning against the tree trunk.  
  
"Akira?"  
  
The boy didn't reply, or even acknowledge his existence. He just continued to cry, his wet hair plastered to his forehead, his face buried in his knees that he hugged to his chest.  
  
"Akira? Please I... I want to talk to you... Kogure said I'd feel better if I did... I just... I just want to know."  
  
The sobbing ceased, but Sendoh still did not look up. Sighing, Sakuragi sat down on the leaves beside him.  
  
"Are you in love?"  
  
There was a good few seconds before Sendoh sadly whispered a reply; "Yes."  
  
Sakuragi cast his eyes downwards.  
  
"Well... I guess you can't be blamed for falling in love. Everybody does it all the time. It's not your fault if you fall in love, you can't help it, I should know. I guess, Rukawa is a popular guy. There's something about him that draws people to him, men AND women, I can't blame you for loving him, I suppose I do, well, I /did/ too. I don't blame you for that, Akira, but..."  
  
"No."  
  
"Huh?" Sakuragi looked up and met Sendoh's burning blue eyes. They looked at him so intensely they were almost frightening. They were full of pain and red from crying.  
  
"I am in love, Sakuragi. But I do not love Rukawa."  
  
Sakuragi looked at him confused for a second. "Then why did you..."  
  
"I didn't want to." Sendoh said, then he laughed bitterly, "Hell, I didn't want to..." He trailed off into silence and looked away from Sakuragi's gaze.  
  
He felt something warm on his arm and looked quickly at it. Sakuragi's hand, almost blue from the cold, was laid there in a small gesture of comfort.  
  
"Please tell me, please..."  
  
"...."  
  
"Akira... don't I have the right to know? I don't know, I don't know who is innocent, I want to know, Akira please..."  
  
"He started it." Sendoh cut across. "But there's no point in explaining it is there? Because it's his word against mine, and you love him too much to believe me."  
  
"No, no...." Sakuragi stroked his arm again, "...you are a dear friend Sendoh..."  
  
"And that is where it starts!" Sendoh wrenched himself away from Sakuragi's touch and stood up, glaring down at him. "All this is because I'm your friend... only your friend... nothing more than your friend! And the reason you can't understand what happened is because you don't know how much I love you! You're totally blind to what I feel for you! There! I've told you! There's the missing clue in all this! Of course I don't love him! I love /you/! Only you("  
  
Sakuragi could only blink in surprise at the rush of emotion from Sendoh, he couldn't think of anything to say.  
  
Sendoh stood still for a moment, surprised at himself, his loss of control, and what he'd just blurted out.  
  
"Damn." He turned his back on Sakuragi and glared defiantly at the school through the rain.  
  
There was a long stretch of silence, both boys going over what had just happened in their heads.  
  
"Akira?" Sakuragi said finally. When he received no reply he continued, "Anzai wants to see us both now."  
  
He stood up and walked past Sendoh without even glancing at him. And still all Sendoh could feel was the pain.  
  
~tbc  
  
Author's notes:  
  
he~llo! Back to my old natterings again I'm afraid ^^;;;. Well kiddies... what do you think of the slightly longer chapters?? (What do you mean you didn't notice the difference?! ^.~)  
  
  
  
a couple of small side dedications now... 1) pastles, for pestering me ^^ 2) reichan, for supporting me 3) Mitsui_jr... without whom I would never have started fic writing again, oh, and I don't know whether you remember dear, but we were discussing at babble a ballet fic and I said I was going to write one?? A looong time ago? Heehee, well I did ^.~ 4) Moonglow for helping me with some editing, and also for hosting ^^  
  
*hugz* love you guys ^.~  
  
Star 


	18. The Man from the Royal

Rukawa's Secret Passion  
  
pt19  
  
There was a man in the audience.  
  
He had arrived at his seat early. An hour early.  
  
He was wearing a smart suit, smoothed down perfectly, and he sat upright in the theatre seat.  
  
There were very few people in the auditorium yet, and he looked round with interest.  
  
It was very impressive, the Shohoku theatre. Attached directly to the school. He was here annually; he'd been present at each and every show for the last 10 years. He'd seen the likes of Kenji Fujima and Shinichi Maki dance on that stage in their school days. There was a program held tight in his left hand on his lap. It was open at the centre page, and there was a large, red circle marring its surface.  
  
Part de deux - Kaede Rukawa and Akira Sendoh  
  
The man had watched Rukawa's progress with interest over the last three years. He sighed in contentment. Yes, tonight he would approach the young talent. And then there was this new name, Akira Sendoh. He smirked to himself; Anzai was taking a bit of a chance with this one. Pitching an unknown against the fame of Rukawa.  
  
The man frowned and tapped his chin in thought. But then, Anzai usually has a reason for everything.  
  
Well, all would become clear when the dance started no doubt; the man easily put the thought out of his mind. He was interested solely in Rukawa tonight.  
  
It was hard to entertain himself for the rest of the hour. He watched the orchestra assemble, and the seats around him fill.  
  
He enjoyed the way people kept looking at him. He truly stood out among them, looking so pristinely smart and knowledgeable.  
  
He was part of a power that could make or break any of the young people on that stage tonight. The badge he wore clipped to his breast proved that.  
  
~ The Royal Academy of Dance  
  
A younger man sat beside him only a second later, greeting his companion cheerfully. "So, who are you after tonight?"  
  
The elder man turned his head towards the young journalist and eyed the badge he wore distastefully.  
  
~ Aida Hikoichi, Press.  
  
"None of your concern. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh(" The boy waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "(Just some stupid piece on the life of Japan's greatest dancer( someone called(" He shuffled through his sheets of paper "(err( Kaede Rukawa?"  
  
"Oh, so the press call him the Japan's greatest dancer now, do they?"  
  
Aida shrugged, "I dunno, I have better pieces to write than this."  
  
"My, my Aida, how much you've changed! Are you actually unenthusiastic about something?!"  
  
"It's ballet!" The boy said scornfully, "What interest is there for anyone in watching a bunch of puffs in tights prance about a stage?"  
  
The man beside him scowled slightly, "it is a matter of taste and opinion my friend."  
  
Aida seemed to remember whom he was talking with and quickly shut up.  
  
And that was when a man came out onto the stage with a microphone in his hand into which he coughed to gain the attention of his audience.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen! It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that there will be a small change in the procedures of today's performance. Due to an unforeseeable accident, Kaede Rukawa will not be able to take part in the show."  
  
In the audience there came a murmuring of disappointment from many people looking forward to seeing the young talent. Not least from Aida who exclaimed loudly about having to endure nothing short of torture for no reason.  
  
"In today's main dance, the part de deux derived from( blah blah blah (Star sez: hell I dunno( anyone know a famous ballet with a part de deux in?? Cos I don't! ^^;;;) (Hanamichi Sakuragi will replace Rukawa. I apologise to you all for this inconvenience. Please enjoy the show!"  
  
With Aida still fuming beside him, the Royal Academy of Dance representative tapped his chin again. Hanamichi Sakuragi, the name had been mentioned in the press with relation to Rukawa many times. He silently looked forward to finally seeing a face and a talent to match with the name.  
  
-an hour or so earlier-  
  
"Sakuragi?"  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"I know that you, possibly of all people, understand the condition of Rukawa."  
  
"Err(" Sakuragi stole a nervous glance at Sendoh, who pretended not to notice, "I do sir."  
  
"And you will understand that there is absolutely no way in which he will be able to perform at either the matinee or the evening show?"  
  
"Erm, yes."  
  
"Then, will you know, of course, that we will need a replacement, or else drop the dance completely from the program which would be a terrible shame."  
  
"Yes("  
  
"And I believe you, Sakuragi, know the dance best out of all possible candidates for the role."  
  
"Huh?! What?! No! Wait, I couldn't do that! I don't know the dance! I'm not good enough to do it! It's too difficult I("  
  
"Sakuragi(" Anzai's voice cut smoothly across him. "Who else has attended practically every one of these two's performances? Now I understand that this is daunting, and I know that you can't learn a dance just by watching, but I am pleading with you now Sakuragi, you have an hour to practise with Sendoh so that you are ready for this, and I believe you are capable."  
  
Sakuragi stood, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish, there was nothing he could say in reply to that.  
  
~tbc  
  
mwahahaha… and the plot thickens……….. xxx 


	19. The Dance

Rukawa's Secret Passion Pt 20

_Note: Welcome! It's been a very long time since I last worked on this story! In fact it has been 7 years since the last part was uploaded! I felt, finally, that this fic deserved to be finished since it is already so close to the end and has been enjoyed by so many people. Unfortunately it is written in a style which is no longer my preferred one – however I shall do my best to continue with the same kind of feel. My original drafts for these final few chapters were lost long ago… so I hope I can do a good job! Thank you for your support!_

Rukawa sat at the back of the auditorium watching the performances on stage. The nurse had recommended that he should visit the hospital to fix his hurt ankle, but Rukawa had insisted on staying behind to watch the show. It was impossible to know what the boy was thinking.

Did he regret? Was he suffering? Had he made a mistake playing with two hearts as he had done?

His eyes revealed nothing.

The auditorium was dark and the opening dances were proceeding as planned. There had been no errors and no mistakes so far. Haruko was on the stage now performing her part as Juliet alongside Mitsui's portrayal of Romeo. Rukawa rolled his eyes. That girl had so little talent. See there – her supporting foot was atrocious!

Many rows ahead, the visitor from the Royal Ballet also winced at Haruko's performance.

Backstage Hanamichi was beginning to panic. The dance was hard –too hard. Sendoh was doing his best to help the red-head get his mind around the steps but it seemed like an impossible task. There was only an hour. The first act was already well underway. The tension boiling between them also didn't help the situation. Sendoh felt electricity whenever he brushed close to Hanamichi. His heart was in his mouth, but he was constantly rebuked by Hanamichi's unforgiving stare and cold body language. There was nothing they could do but continue to practise. Towards the end of the hour Anzai appeared to check on their progress. He gave no comment, but laughed characteristically as his eyes twinkled as the pair. The silent nod he gave could only mean one thing. The dance would go on.

A while later Kogure stepped off the stage flushed and full of adrenaline after his performance. He felt he'd done well. He smiled widely to no one in particular, stepping back into the wings, applause following him. Standing there waiting to go on to the stage next was Hanamichi, leaning against the railings looking pale and wan. Still buzzing with elation, Kogure laid a bracing hand on his shoulder, causing the younger boy to look up at him and meet his eyes.

"Break a leg, Hana" Kogure said simply, unable to keep the beaming smile from his face.

Hanamichi gave a small nod, seeming to rouse himself from his misery; he stood upright as the familiar music began to play.

Across the stage in the opposite wing he could see Sendoh waiting as nervously as he was, shifting his weight from one foot to the other uncertainly. As the opening chords reached their crescendo both young men threw their souls into the dance as they stepped out into the hot, bright lights and the gaze of hundreds who had come to see them. Who they were, their bodies and their minds, were lost beyond recovery as they fell into the grip of the dance's magic together.

From the auditorium a pair of blue eyes narrowed as the two boys appeared gracefully on the stage, moving lightly and effortlessly. Another man, a visitor from the Royal Ballet, sat quickly upright as he watched with unmasked interest.

~tbc

*Star

C+Cs most welcome! It's great to get back into fic writing after so long!

PS Short chapters are BACK! Hahaha!


	20. The Passion Remembered

Rukawa's Secret Passion Pt 21

As the two boys came off the stage, the cheering and clapping following their performance ringing in their ears they fell, exhausted but ecstatic into each other arms.

"We did it, Hana!" Akira beamed as he held the boy close, feeling his pounding heart and hot skin close against him.

"Thank you, Akira, thank you, thank you…" Hanamichi could only recite his gratitude in a daze as the enormity of what they had achieved on stage overwhelmed him. He could hear nothing but the cheers for the two boys who had danced and taken the audience's breath away. They stood, absorbed in each other for several minutes, feeling the adrenaline pumping through their bodies, their fluttering hearts and stomachs, the ringing in their ears.

Gradually, Sendoh became aware that they were being watched. He gently pulled away from Hanamichi and looked over to where a suited man was watching them from a respectable distance. By his side was the fox-eyed Rukawa, leaning heavily on his clutches due to his injured ankle. Rukawa's eyes revealed nothing, as usual, as he watched Sendoh and Hanamichi's close embrace. The suited man, however, was brimming with excitement, clearly waiting to talk to them. He had rushed backstage before the dance was even half-way finished in his eagerness to meet the two rising stars.

Sendoh read the name displayed on his visitor's badge carefully:

Michael Darnes – Royal Academy of Dance.

Hanamichi too, looked over, and blushed deeply seeing that Rukawa was watching him coolly. The suited man came quickly forward and held out his hand for them to shake.

"Let me introduce myself… I am Michael Darnes, chief scout for the Royal Academy of Dance." He beamed, looking over them smiling. "I recruit young new dancers whom I feel are worthy of a place at our world-class institution."

"It is an honour to meet you" Sendoh and Hanamichi muttered together, still feeling slightly dazed.

"I came today to see Kaede Rukawa…" he nodded towards the boy who still stood a little apart from them "… I was most disappointed that he was not able to perform. However…" he smiled widely at Rukawa "…I have every confidence in his abilities and would like to offer you, Kaede, a scholarship for our school."

There was no visible change on Rukawa's face, however his fist clenched in the smallest sign of victory.

"Of course…" the man continued "…I understand that it is a decision you will need to think hard about. Leaving your family and friends to move to a new country is a daunting prospect, so there is no need to give me a firm answer right away…" He turned to Akira and Hanamichi, who gazed at him mutely.

"As I said, I came only to see Kaede, but I was shocked to witness something I did not expect to see. A talent equal to his." His eyes stopped on Sendoh. "You have stunned me, Akira Sendoh."

Sendoh couldn't help blushing furiously at the man's sincere and piercing praise and looked quickly at the floor in embarrassment. Rukawa looked mildly smug as he crossed his arms. He'd seen the talent in Sendoh from the first day, and was congratulating himself on his sharp perception.

"I am honoured to extend the offer to you as well. The Royal Academy would cherish a gem such as you. I'm sure I don't need to remind you that The Royal Academy, closely tied to The Royal Ballet, is the leading school of ballet in the world."

No, Sendoh didn't need reminding of that fact. He gazed at the floor in shock.

Lastly, Michael turned to Hanamichi. "Tonight your talent showed through as it has never done before. You took my breath away Sakuragi." He nodded and smiled. "However, I still feel there is a long way for you to go in your development, but I do not doubt that one day you shall be the equal of these two." He put a firm hand on Hanamichi's shoulder, and the young red-head smiled back.

"Thank you." He replied.

The older man gave his cards to Sendoh and Rukawa, telling them to contact him with any questions, and then left. The three boys stood in a silent triangle, looking at each other.

Over the last few months their lives had been meshed together in an uncomfortable tangle. Now that the end was drawing near they each looked uncertainly at each other, wondering what the others were thinking, or what they might decide to do.

Akira stood wondering what Rukawa would choose. Would he leave his beloved Hanamichi behind? Would he prefer to go off to a new country with Sendoh? Absent-mindedly he twisted the small business hard he was holding into a roll. He looked over at Hanamichi standing silently, gazing at Rukawa. Would Hanamichi beg him to stay?

Even as he thought these things he began to realise something. Sendoh began to realise that he wouldn't be going. His place was here, at Shohoku, with Anzai and with… Hanamichi. The boy he silently loved. The opportunity was fantastic, but he knew in his heart that he wouldn't be able to go through with it.

He looked over at Hanamichi who glanced back at him.

"I won't go." He said simply.

Hanamichi looked shocked. "But why?"

"I…" he frowned "…I want to be with you, Hana. I… love you."

For the first time since Sendoh's fumbled confession under the old oak tree in the rain Hanamichi looked as though he might believe him.

Rukawa snorted in amusement. Sendoh and Hanamichi both turned to him. He was a mystery. His true motives were impossible to discern. Did he love Hanamichi? Did he love Sendoh? Still, after so long, his eyes revealed nothing and Sendoh began to realise the truth.

It didn't matter.

Whether or not he loved Sendoh, or Hanamichi, or both, or neither, was a tiny irrelevant thing. Because Rukawa had another passion. A true passion before which all else paled and died.

Rukawa's secret passion was ballet.


	21. Epilogue The End

Rukawa's Secret Passion – Epilogue

Sendoh kicked the door to the flat open haphazardly, balancing the bulging sports bag in one hand and the portable hi-fi in the other. He just about managed to squeeze in through the gap before the door could close on his face.

Gratefully he dropped everything to the floor and straightened to wipe his brow with an audible huff. He'd been working late for the last week and didn't enjoy the journey home in the pitch dark. He enjoyed it even less when his lover wasn't there to meet him at the door as he came in. The sound of the TV could be heard issuing from the living room further down the dark narrow hallway he had stepped into. That was the only room along the corridor from which light issued, and he felt a little sorry for himself playing second fiddle to the evening news.

Leaving his bags where he'd dumped them he moved tiredly towards the warm room, dragging his lonely feet in the darkness.

Hanamichi didn't even look up as he came in from the hallway. He was sitting crossed-legged on the floor in front of the TV, eyes glued to it in interest. Feeling annoyed and rejected Sendoh collapsed on the sofa and attempted to complain…

"Are you even going to..?"

But Hanamichi "shh"ed him before he could get any more of his sentence out. Taken aback by this cold shoulder, Sendoh felt more confused than ever. He tried to tune in to the drone of the TV to see what was interesting Hanamichi so very much. A pretty woman reporter was standing in front of a large, ornate golden door such as you might see at an expensive hotel. She was already in mid-sentence.

"…at his debut last year. This Christmas he will be the first ever Japanese man to ever perform the lead role in the Nutcracker at this beautiful theatre."

Hanamichi finally turned away from the TV to look back at Sendoh, his eyes shining.

"It's wonderful isn't it?"

Sendoh could only stare at him, not understanding what the topic was. Hanamichi saw his look of confusion and rolled it eyes as if it was all very obvious.

"Kaede! They're talking about Kaede!"

"Oh?" Finally interested, Sendoh slid forwards off the sofa to sit on the floor next to his lover. He quickly became so absorbed in the images of the Royal Ballet's home theatre in London's Convent Garden which shone on the screen that he barely noticed Hanamichi settling comfortably by him, leaning affectionately against his shoulder.

They both watched in silence for some time, until finally the feature show played a clip of the resident dancers at their practise session.

"There! There! He's there!"

"Where?"

"There at the back, in the blue!"

"Oh yeah…!"

They both moved closer to the TV to examine the small pixelised figure who was watching the practise stonily. Unfortunately there were no videos of him dancing, and the topic soon moved onto a different ballet company in Russia.

The two boys who knew him sat back mildly disappointed, but happy at having been able to see catch a glimpse of Kaede Rukawa.

It had been five years since they'd last seen him in the flesh, dragging his loaded suitcase out of the front doors of the Shohoku Dance School to the waiting taxi. He hadn't looked back, although Hanamichi and Sendoh along with many others had come to wave him farewell. He'd said nothing to either of them: not about his decision, his feelings, or his position in regards to their relationship. He'd simply gone; discarding them from his life as easily as one discards yesterday's newspaper.

Nonetheless they both wished him well, the greatest dancer Shohoku had ever known.

Somewhere in his heart Sendoh had room to pity him as well. A boy who would give up everything to follow his dreams was certainly a sorrowful thing, no matter how talented or successful he may have become. Not once was he able to forget that day that he'd seen Rukawa smile. A true smile when he'd thought no one was looking. Rukawa had smiled because he had been in love in Sakuragi. Perhaps he still was.

Sendoh often regretted that his arrival at Shohoku had changed Rukawa so much. As the years passed and he grew older and more experienced he came to understand what effect he'd had on Rukawa's competitive spirit. He'd been his equal, and he believed that that was what had sparked a profound confusion within the cold boy. Someone who was used to being the best hadn't known how to respond when his position had been threatened. He'd sought to master and dominate, to control Sendoh and have a hold over him, therefore perhaps easing his discomfort. Shortly after that he'd thrown away the thing he'd loved the most – the young red-head Hanamichi – suddenly and unswervingly intent on pursuing his insatiable desire to be the best.

But it was all only Sendoh's speculation. Perhaps no one would ever know precisely what went on in Rukawa's heart. Perhaps no one ever should. Some secrets were better left unknown.

Glancing to his right Sendoh was suddenly filled with gratitude for what he had been given. His love for Hanamichi burned as brightly as ever and now they were both professionals – Sendoh a dance teacher and Hanamichi involved with a local non-touring dance group – they were as stable and happy as they had ever been.

He landed a single kiss on Hanamichi's nose and saw the honey brown eyes sparkle back up at him.

Whatever Rukawa was doing now, Sendoh hoped he was as happy as this.

*Owari*

_The final 3 chapters of this fic are dedicated to the 15-year-old me who first began to write this naïve and silly story so many years ago. Consider this a gift and a thank you. I'm so glad you made it through everything, your silly head always so full of Slamdunk boys. In the end, finishing this little story is the best I can do for you._

_Notes: In this epilogue I made an effort to rationalise Rukawa's weird and unexplained actions and personality in the earlier chapters. _

_Who would have thought that I'd turn into the ru-uke/senru devotee I ended up being in the end!? Haha! Rukawa is, was, always will be my favourite character. I'm not too sure why I bashed him so much in this story! Sorry if you didn't like my portrayal of him, but I can't remember what I was thinking of at the time of writing…! _

_Comments and criticisms are always welcome, although please try to bear in mind that this was written a long (long) time ago, and that I have attempted to recreate the same amateur-naïve sense in the final three chapters so that they fit in with the rest of the fic. Please don't take this as a true example of my writing skills! It's not! (I hope!)_


End file.
